Regional reps in world athletics union T&T to market
Caribbean Life, JULY 24-30, 2020 29
By George Alleyne
Three Caribbean track and field performers
have taken up executive positions
in, Athletics Association, a newly formed
trades union-like organization dedicated to
promoting the rights of sports performers
worldwide.
Top athlete who stands among the
world’s most decorated with multiple
World Championships and Olympic medals,
Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce;
400 metres Olympic champion, Bahamian
Shaunae Miller-Uibo; and sprint hurdler,
Trinidadian Mikel Thomas, are the region’s
representatives on a 22-member executive.
They will represent the Americas for
this organization, formed last week.
Active and former athletes moved to
establish this world body in response to
what they have seen over the years as a
need for improved representation of athletes.
They have an immediate task on their
hands as there is need for representation of
200m, 3000m steeplechase, discuss throw
and the triple jump athletes who have
been dropped from events at the Diamond
League final.
World Athletics, the international governing
organization for athletics, last year
announced change to the 2020 Diamond
League format but athletes are unhappy
with the exclusion of some events.
“There is no hierarchy in track and field.
All events are equally important, and so are
the athletes who compete in them. Athletes
competing in these areas deserve the
same broadcast time, coverage, and effort
as any other event,” Fraser-Pryce told the
Jamaica Gleaner newspaper this week.
Held annually, the Diamond League
is for elite track and field athletes in 15
competitions. It is regarded as the top tier
of the World Athletics one-day meeting
events.
Being a member of this new organization
with an ‘athlete first approach’ Fraser
-Pryce said enables her to fight for other
small nations that could be negatively
impacted by decisions from World Athletics.
“I am more so proud as a Caribbean
athlete to form part of the executive board
as with many athletes from small and
developing nations, we are more likely to
be disenfranchised by the decisions made
in our sport,” she stated.
“I wanted to be a part of an organization
that will represent the voices of all athletes
from both large and small countries and
across all disciplines.”
By Azad Ali
The Trinidad and Tobago government
is devising a strategy to market
the country during the Aug. 18
to September matches although the
absence of spectators for this year’s
Caribbean Premier League (CPL)
Twenty20 tournament will be a major
loss to investors.
Televised and strategically positioned
on-field advertising will be
used by the government to market
Trinidad & Tobago at both the
Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain and
the Brian Lara Academy in South
Trinidad.
During a recent virtual press conference,
Minister of National Security,
Stuart Young revealed the government
has capitalized on the competition’s
global popularity to showcase
Trinidad & Tobago throughout its
duration.
He said the government managed
to negotiate good advertising packages
being aware that the rest of
the world will be looking on at the
playing field, adding the advertising
packages will be highlighted all over
the world during the tournament.
Jamaica’s Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce celebrates winning gold in the Women’s
100 Metres Final at the World Athletics Championships, Khalifa International
Stadium, Doha, Qatar on Sept. 29, 2019. REUTERS / Hannah Mckay, File
nation during
CPL matches